Teen was fleeing when he died of a gunshot wound in East St. Louis school parking lot
It was a gunshot wound the caused the death of a 13-year-old boy who was found dead in the parking lot of an East St. Louis middle school Sunday, investigators say.
Michael A. Moore, of East St. Louis, had run from the scene of the shooting about a hundred yards away in the 5700 block of Ridge Avenue before dying in the parking lot of Mason-Clark Middle School, Illinois State Police Lt. Calvin Brown said Monday.
Moore was not a student at the junior high, but did attend a school in East St. Louis District 189. The school district released a statement Monday afternoon.
“We send our sincere condolences to the family as they cope with this tragic loss of a young life,” spokeswoman Sydney Stigge-Kaufman said in the release. “We ask for the respect and privacy as the police continue the investigation of his death and as the family works through this loss.”
A crisis team will be available to provide counseling and support to students and staff when school resumes after the holiday break, Stigge-Kaufman said.
According to Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Elbert Jennings, the shooting happened “sometime during the night hours” on Saturday. Police found Moore’s body in the parking lot the next morning.
Brown said investigators have active leads they are pursuing and, though a motive for the shooting has not been identified, police do not believe the killing was random.
Police did not have a suspect in custody Monday. As the investigation continues, Brown said any information regarding charges will come from the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Moore’s death marks the 33rd confirmed homicide in East St. Louis in 2019.
This story was originally published December 30, 2019 at 12:10 PM.
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